Microsoft Sells 40 Million Windows 8 Licenses

Microsoft Corp. has sold 40 million licenses for its new Windows 8 operating system, a pace of adoption that matches its previous Windows 7 release, a company executive said Tuesday.

Tami Reller, a Microsoft veteran who was made co-head of the company’s Windows Division earlier this month, told a Credit Suisse investment conference that Windows 8 was “on pace” to match sales of Windows 7, which appeared in 2009 and has become the company’s best-selling operating system with more than 670 million licenses sold.

Windows 8 debuted on Oct. 26.

Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft traditionally includes in its sales figures the number of licenses sold to hardware makers, along with the number of licenses sold to individual consumers and businesses.

Ms. Reller said she was “pleased” with the Windows 8 sales, adding, “It’s really just the beginning of our journey with Windows 8.”

She also said the company has signed up 25 million customers for its new Outlook.com email service that is replacing Microsoft’s aging Hotmail franchise. Outlook.com appeared on July 31.